


Sunshine

by R_S_B



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: AU, F/F, Future's End - Freeform, I guess there's a tiny bit of bad language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 07:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13898799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_S_B/pseuds/R_S_B
Summary: On Earth, B’Elanna and Tuvok are aided by an enthusiastic and curious scientist named Rain Robinson. But when Rain accidentally finds out B’Elanna isn’t fully human, her response isn’t what B’Elanna expects.





	Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pixie (magnetgirl)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetgirl/gifts).



> Written for Pixie, who requested B'Elanna/Rain for the Star Trek Rarepair Swap.

B’Elanna had been fiddling unsuccessfully with some components from Rain’s vehicle for the better part of half an hour. _Stupid primitive technology._ At this rate, they were never going to be able to contact _Voyager_ , and she found herself cursing Janeway’s decision to send her down to the planet for about the upteenth time. _What in the galaxy had the captain been thinking? Sending a Vulcan and a half-Klingon down to 1990s Los Angeles? That_ petaq _is out of her mind._ B’Elanna wiped her brow carefully and pulled the baseball cap back down over her forehead.

Rain walked up to her spot at the table in the park with an amused smile. “Let me guess. Someone broke into the van last night while I was sleeping, tried to snatch the stereo, you bravely fought them off and now you're repairing the damage.”

B’Elanna snorted softly. “That's _exactly_ what happened.”

“My hero.” Rain smiled and B’Elanna’s stomachs did a little flip. She sat down across from B’Elanna. “So, what's it like? Life as a spy, I mean.”

B’Elanna wondered what Tom would say, something she'd been doing a lot since they'd gotten themselves stuck here. “ _Classified_.”

Rain rolled her eyes. “Oh, right. I forgot. But… you said ‘secret agent’ and nobody says secret agent. And you do that a lot. You get things not quite right, like you don't belong here.”

_Dammit Tom. I never should have listened to him…_ “Rain, you're imagining things.”

“And you're insulting my intelligence! Yesterday afternoon I picked up a UFO in orbit. Today my life is completely out of control, so don't think I'm too stupid to notice.”

B’Elanna sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Rain nodded. “Accepted.”

B’Elanna didn't like not being able to tell Rain everything. She could imagine how frustrating it must be. _But if she knew the truth? That would be too much._ They needed to do as little as possible to impact the timeline, and getting Rain’s help was already more interaction that advisable. And if Rain found out that she and Tuvok weren’t human? Who knew how poorly she might respond. She sighed and reached out for Rain’s hand. “Would you also accept that there are lives at stake here? Just… try to stay focused on the big picture. There are some things we just can't explain right now.”

Rain shrugged. “I'll try.”

B’Elanna’s stomach unclenched and she tried to change the subject. “So, why'd you become an astronomer?”

Rain smiled. “My brother had a telescope, a little refractor. You could barely see in the tree house next door actually, but it was enough. It was enough to see the rings of Saturn. I remember… I remember I used to think that they looked like jewels from a pirate's treasure. All I ever wanted since then was to reach up and touch them.” Rain looked at her shyly for a moment. “What about you? What made you want to be an engineer? Science is… kind of a sausage fest.”

It took B’Elanna a moment to understand Rain’s insinuation, and when she did, it made her snort. She grinned up under her cap at Rain. B’Elanna found it depressing thinking about the gender disparity that still existed in the sciences at this point in human history, but it only made her appreciate Rain’s spunk that much more. “Machines always made sense to me,” B’Elanna told her. “People, not so much.”

Rain nodded in understanding. Looking back down at the burned out electronics in front of her, B’Elanna pulled the cap back and ran a hand through her hair, wondering what they were going to do now. Then she saw Rain staring at her with wide eyes.

Panicked, B’Elanna pulled the hat back down. _Shit. Fuck. FUCK FUCK FUCK._

“What--what are you?” Rain half-whispered. “Are you-- “ she stopped, struggling to go further. “Are you… an… _alien_?”

“Look, Rain, that isn’t what’s important right now. Everyone’s safety depends on our success. You _know_ that.”

“But… “ Rain looked completely overwhelmed by this realization. “I mean, I knew something was up, but this?!” She shook her head in amazement. “I mean, you have-- “ she gestured vaguely at B’Elanna’s forehead.

_I have ridges._ The one thing that meant she couldn’t pass as completely human. B’Elanna felt sick. She ran through possible scenarios in her head, but if Rain freaked out now, it was going to be hard to contain the damage. _This is why you don’t interact with the locals…_

But Rain didn’t actually seem to be freaking out. She seemed confused and a little flustered. But under control. Thoughtful. It still wasn’t enough to unclench the knots in B’Elanna’s stomachs. Then Rain reached out, hesitantly. “Can I… can I touch them?”

“What?” B’Elanna blurted out.

“Your ridges,” Rain whispered.

B’Elanna blinked. “Um… “ She looked around, but there was no one nearby. Hesitantly, she took off the baseball cap. “Sure.”

Rain’s touch was gentle, fingertips tracing the lines of ridged bone that peaked in the middle of her forehead. B’Elanna couldn’t make sense of the expression on Rain’s face.

“Beautiful,” Rain whispered in awe.

This time, B’Elanna was too shocked to speak, and before she could collect herself, Tuvok arrived. B’Elanna hastily pulled the cap back down over her forehead.

“Good morning,” he said, depositing drinks and two bags of food onto the table. B’Elanna flushed, knowing how disapproving Tuvok would be about Rain’s new discovery.

But Rain didn’t say anything, nor did B’Elanna, and over a breakfast only Tom Paris could love, they came up with a plan. If they could get back into the observatory, they could contact _Voyager_ with Rain’s equipment. B’Elanna kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner.

_I guess we’ll have to keep her around for a little while longer._

B’Elanna found herself looking at Rain, and the other woman smiled back at her. B’Elanna felt a little queasy again, but it was different than before, even if she couldn’t figure out why.

* * *

It was over. And now it was time to return to _Voyager_. To say goodbye.

“Your spaceship's waiting,” Rain began.

B’Elanna smiled at her. She truly respected Rain’s quick thinking throughout this entire ordeal, and her ability to focus on the important things and accept what she didn’t, and couldn’t, know. But there was something more than that, something that made her nervous and giddy at the same time. Rain had every reason to respond more negatively than any other human B’Elanna had met to her Klingon-side, to find her scary and alien and _other_ , but she'd done the opposite.

When Rain had tried to ask her out, B’Elanna had been so stunned she was unable to speak. Rain had misinterpreted her silence, her panicked “you're straight?!” finally kicking B’Elanna into action.

But after B’Elanna had reassured her that _that_ wasn't the problem, what could she do? There was no way to give her what she wanted (and if B’Elanna was honest, what she wanted too), without risking much too much damage to the timeline.

And now it was over. And it was time to say goodbye.

B’Elanna reached out for Rain’s cheek and she leaned into it a little. “I've never met anyone quite like you, and I don't think I ever will.”

“Same here. Say ‘hi’ to Saturn for me.”

“I will,” B’Elanna whispered. Then, throwing caution to the wind, she leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Rain’s mouth.

Rain was frozen in surprise for only a moment before returning the kiss. When she pulled back, she was smiling. She pulled B’Elanna’s baseball cap off and tossed it aside, then looped her arms around B’Elanna’s neck and kissed her passionately.

For a brief moment, everything was perfect. _Voyager_ was suddenly a distant memory. B’Elanna knew nothing but the sun on her face and Rain in her arms. There was no Federation, no Klingon Empire. No assumptions, no expectations.

Pure freedom.

Then it was over, and B’Elanna pulled back.

“Goodbye, Rain.”

The last thing she saw was the look of wonder on Rain’s face as she dematerialized.


End file.
